I'm Terminal Anyway, No Regrets (17 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
Anger is directed toward the powerless.
“The title you received through your marriage to the princess will be reclaimed one month from now.”
The king was furious.
Since nobles never forgave anyone who threatened their status, barring any grave offense, once a noble, always a noble.
Yet he was made to surrender his title.
Although the king had covered up the Olans’ incident, he could not suppress his rage over the humiliation inflicted upon him.
The widely circulated rumors of assault, the attempt to frame her, and Jeffrey’s infidelity—
There was no need to search for an additional pretext; the charges were already abundant enough to justify stripping his title.
I had wanted Jeffrey to keep his title.
After all, Glisia would soon be invaded by the Empire, and until then, Jeffrey would remain blissfully intoxicated by his hollow title for a brief, happy while.
He would plummet into ruin along with the invasion and taste true misery.
Though by then, I would no longer be here.
“…Reclaim the title?”
Stunned by the words “title reclamation,” Jeffrey couldn’t continue speaking. He looked around slowly at the pale faces of the Olans.
‘If you were going to cause trouble, you should have considered the consequences it would bring.’
Though resentful of the king’s retaliation, seeing their expressions made my remaining anger vanish.
Elena murmured weakly,
“Jeffrey… divorce? Title reclamation? Does that mean the Olans are no longer counts?”
“It is His Majesty’s decision. After the title is reclaimed, calling yourselves counts would constitute falsely claiming noble status—please be cautious.”
“What are you saying, Princess—no, Ormia? Weren’t you just returning home? I went to apologize, but you wouldn’t even meet me, and now suddenly this…?”
Still unable to believe it—unwilling to accept it—Jeffrey roughly ran his hands through his hair.
When royal maidservants came down carrying luggage, Jeffrey’s expression twisted further.
I ordered them to load the trunks onto the carriage, and they hurried out in a flurry.
Over half the dresses, belongings, and jewels had already been secretly taken by Madam Olan and Elena.
Though the luggage was lighter than when we arrived, Madam Olan stared at the trunks as if she were the one wronged.
“So now we’re no longer nobles?”
“Oh, no… we haven’t even gotten married yet! How am I supposed to find a husband if I’m not noble anymore…?”
Elena choked back tears.
“Princess, you said I’d keep my title even after divorce!”
Jeffrey’s voice began rising.
A knight stepped forward to protect me, but I stopped him with a gesture.
“If you’d agreed to divorce when I first asked, it wouldn’t have come to this.”
“You mean… on purpose?”
“What did I do?”
This really was an innocent question.
I hadn’t done anything at all.
“Did I encourage you to cheat? Did I conspire with Madam Olan to have you falsely accuse me of jealousy? Everything started and was brought upon by you—by all of you.”
“Ormia, you’re not this kind of woman. I’ll do better from now on. I was wrong, okay? You love me, don’t you?”
Yes—I once did love you.
In my first life, I believed I’d found someone who would love me. With him, I foolishly dreamed I could be happy too.
Now that love had worn away; even trying to recall its warmth left only traces in memory.
Quietly, I reminded Jeffrey of that old affection.
“You threw that love away yourself.”
Jeffrey stared at me blankly, his expression slowly crumpling. His face twisted as if about to cry, then hardened into a glare.
“Hah—of course, the princess rejected even by the gods. No wonder the gods abandoned you; you’re this cold and terrifying.”
Jeffrey refused to acknowledge his own wrongdoing.
“I took pity on you because others avoided you and wouldn’t even speak to you, so I comforted and accepted you—and this is how you repay my kindness? I gave you the marriage you wanted, and now you want a divorce? Absolutely not!”
“You married me to obtain the title. His Majesty has already decided.”
“No! I’ll defy His Majesty! How am I supposed to share a bed and live married life with a woman stained by divine rejection? What man wouldn’t look at other women?
How could anyone not fear a woman even the gods rejected? This is a natural consequence! His Majesty will understand once he hears my side!”
“Yes, so let’s divorce. I’ll set you free.”
“No! I endured the chills crawling down my spine to marry a princess—I deserve something in return!”
The royal envoy and the knight standing nearby hardened their expressions.
Jeffrey had lost all reason, forgetting even Leticia’s presence.
He demanded logic and practicality from me yet showed unyielding self-indulgence when it came to himself.
This was the man who once made me happy just by looking at him, who made my heart flutter.
But not anymore.
“You do have something left.”
“Ah—so you’ll at least give me alimony.”
Jeffrey’s face brightened at the thought of compensation, only to crumple again at my next words.
“Debt.”
“You can’t mean…”
“As nobles, you took out loans from banks, dressmakers, and various other places, and you still owe a considerable amount unpaid. Recently, Elena even used the royal name to purchase a diamond necklace.
After the divorce and title reclamation, everything must be settled.”
In my first life, Duke Haiman had promised Jeffrey business opportunities but kept postponing them indefinitely.
Expenses grew while income remained scarce, and the Olans accumulated debts.
After losing money on fraudulent investments, they pressured me to fetch funds from the palace.
Though they were the ones spending recklessly, they slandered me as incompetent and vain, wasting money.
“Now it’s time you took responsibility for your actions.”
“In the case of banks, nobles usually receive lower interest rates—but once you commit a serious crime or lose your title, you’ll be charged the standard civilian rate. Prepare yourselves; the interest will be quite steep.”
The envoy kindly explained. The unspoken privileges and favors afforded by noble status were now gone.
Elena grabbed Jeffrey’s arm with trembling hands.
“Jeffrey, quickly beg the princess! Are we really going bankrupt? How will we face anyone?”
“Y-yes, Jeffrey. Apologize quickly! Ormia, we were all wrong. We made a mistake. We’ll do better from now on—why don’t we try again?”
Madam Olan pushed Jeffrey’s back, her voice choked with tears. Despair and hope mingled in Jeffrey’s eyes, which had just been blazing with anger.
“Ormia… we were still husband and wife, weren’t we? Are you really ending it like this?”
“You never saw me as your wife. Now go meet that woman as you please.”
Though Jeffrey might seem dragged into my misfortune, I felt no guilt.
“No! This can’t happen! I’ll take this to trial! Divorce is absolutely out of the question!”
His eyes bloodshot, Jeffrey thrashed desperately.
I signaled the envoy and the knight not to intervene and stepped closer to Jeffrey, lowering my voice so only he could hear.
A cruel coldness flickered in Jeffrey’s eyes as he looked at me—but even that faded upon hearing my next words.
“If you do… I’ll sue that woman for alimony due to marital breakdown. People will find out exactly who the woman you met is.”
“Ormia Beltoar…”
“You must hold onto her, after all.”
He collapsed onto his knees with a thud.
Once, I had pleaded with him to look at me—now he looked up at me in desperation.
‘So this is how pathetic I once was.’
“Go.”
I turned my back. Elena tried to follow, but the knight blocked her with his sword, and she sank to the ground.
As I boarded the carriage, I instructed the envoy,
“Once we return, report everything that happened here to Caland. It would’ve been dangerous if you’d come alone.”
“Ah… yes. Understood.”
The carriage departed the Olans’ estate and headed back to the royal capital.
Leticia sat across from me, her face pale. When our eyes met, she choked back tears.
“Had I known it would be like this, I shouldn’t have come… It’s your in-laws’ home, after all—I hoped they wouldn’t show such behavior in front of you…”
In my first life, I’d never properly spoken with Leticia. If she was light, I was merely a shadow on the wall.
“I can’t believe Lord Olans would act this way. You must have suffered greatly all this time, sister.”
Leticia was beautiful—golden hair like molten gold, and an innocent elegance that made men instinctively cherish her, the royal flower.
“But sister, please reconsider the divorce. Though Lord Olans and his mother acted wrongly, didn’t you have your own reasons for marrying him in the first place?
I’ve heard that newlyweds often fight a lot as they adjust to each other.”
Leticia tried persuading me, hoping to lift my spirits—but seeing I only listened quietly, she smiled brightly.
“You truly looked happy when you were with him.”
I returned her smile as if I, too, felt warmth.
“Thank you for coming with me today. I can’t tell you how glad I was that you came, Leticia.”
Leticia’s bright smile quickly froze.
“I really wanted you to see it—Jeffrey’s miserable state.”
Her eyes widened in shock.
“…What?”
“Jeffrey isn’t a good man. He’s despicable and full of empty bravado. You saw it yourself, didn’t you, Leticia? How he clung to you, desperate to stop the divorce once he realized he’d lose everything.”
“Sister, I understand you’re upset—but no matter how badly things ended, please don’t speak ill of him. I’m afraid people might misunderstand you.”
“I’m more worried about your reputation, Leticia. After all, you’re the one picking up what I’ve thrown away.”
“What?”
Leticia clutched her dress, her hand trembling violently.
I explained as gently and kindly as possible,
“High society is harsh and unforgiving toward married noblemen who commit adultery and young noblewomen who engage in affairs. No matter how beloved by royalty or blessed with sacred power they may be. To risk such danger for love—that must be true love, right?”
I was grateful to her—she showed me the garbage for what it was.
“So you may have that piece of trash, Leticia. Now that he’s no longer a married man, you can meet him freely without worrying about what others think.”
I smiled warmly at the pale-faced Leticia.
Sincerely.
“Do you have proof?”
Without blinking, Leticia’s lips curled into a smile.
Her true face was finally revealed.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Chapter Comments (15)
Inline Comments (120)
For a man, this reaction was understandably awkward.
Oh. 👁️👁️😳
“If she’s being sent away anyway, who would do such a thing!”
Seriously, that people disgust me so badly… The audacity! Caring for her only in the struggle, and calling her devious when they are the ones who should be cursed! I hope she rises in the Empire and i hope that the news somehow causes in them atleast despair or some kind of disability.
“Marcus, please shut up! People avoided me, calling me ‘God’s rejection’—how cou
👁️👁️
👄
Man… I know she’s miserable, but did you have to humiliate the woman like that?
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Loved this novel, i came because i started the manhwa and the story was really wonderfull, so i just had to know the rest. I am loving it.
hahahaha baby girl😭😭 she is so cuuuute. I really live her so so much
Riiiigth, let’s go away frim this wicked land, my baby Ormia needs to be happy, pleeeaaaaase!